Children's Ministry
Welcome to Monte Vista Kids!
Welcome to Monte Vista Kids – where we Play, Learn and Grow Together!
The Children’s Ministry at Monte Vista Presbyterian Church focuses on helping children grow in Jesus Christ in a safe and fun environment. Our mission is to grow kids to be Prayerful, Caring, and Honest followers of Jesus. Our fully background checked, carefully screened and selected teachers and student leaders make your children our priority!
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First Time Guests
Monte Vista offers a fun and inviting program for kids birth through 5th grade. We are an inclusive environment and welcome all kids. Kids learn through fun activities, stories, crafts, and music. Both Monte Vista Kids Sunday School and Nursery programs are held in the Preschool building.
Registration and check-in are located outside the main sanctuary and opens 15 minutes before service begins. Families will check-in children prior to the beginning of service. We ask that you leave a contact number so that we can reach you during service if needed. All children, except nursery, will start in the sanctuary with their families and will be dismissed to Sunday School during service. Families can pick up and check out their children at the conclusion of service in the Monte Vista Preschool. Signs show which room children are in based upon their grade level.
For our nursery guests, parents can check-in and drop off their children in the nursery, located in the Monte Vista Preschool, prior to the beginning of service.
Sunday School and Nursery Schedule
First Service - 8:30 AM - Nursery
During our 8:30 service, the nursery program is offered for children from birth through 3 years. Located in the Monte Vista preschool, parents are welcome to drop off their children before the service begins. Older children are welcome to attend services with their families.
Second Service - 10:30 AM – Nursery and Monte Vista Kids Sunday School
During our 10:30 service, both the nursery and Monte Vista Kid’s Sunday School is offered for kids from birth up through 5th grade. Our nursery is located in the Monte Vista Preschool and children are welcome to be dropped off before service begins. Children attending Monte Vista Kids Sunday School will be dismissed during service. Children can be picked up in the preschool after service.
Monte Vista Preschool
Helping little hands to pray to God, love others and help their friends.
Our program is designed to provide developmentally appropriate experiences that involve the whole child: cognitively, physically, spiritually and socially.
“Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” (Luke 2:52)
It is our desire that we teach every child at school how to
grow in wisdom (cognitively), stature (physically), in favor with
God (spiritually), and in favor with people (socially).
Our primary purpose is to help each child value themselves as
a unique individual created by God. Then they can learn
to love others and help their friends.
We offer Half Day (8:30am-12:00pm) and School Day (8:00am-3:00pm)
preschool programs for children 2 to 5 years old.
In all of our classes, we focus on hands-on learning, primarily through play. We teach a letter a week as well as a number, color and shape each month. Activities generally center around a theme, which we change every few weeks.
For more information, visit MVPpreschool.org or
contact Melissa Clark at MVPpreschool@gmail.com.
WINTER CAMP (cost is $175 + PayPal fee)
Missions
A faith that serves...
At Monte Vista, we continue to grow in our compassion as we reach out beyond ourselves and to serve others. As PCH disciples, compassion works itself out in our approach to others - both those in our community and those outside.
We support a variety of missions at home and abroad, including Compassion International, Habitat for Humanity, Hands of Mercy, IMPACT, Lighthouse Shelter, Lutheran Social Services, Manna, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Teen Challenge, Lifewater International, Westminster Free Clinic and Younglife.
WAYS YOU CAN SERVE
If you would like to help us serve the community, consider volunteering with us at the Westminster Free Clinic (Wednesday nights) or help build with Habitat for Humanity (Wednesday, Saturday). For more information, contact Joann Carvalho at jojocarv1@gmail.com
Our goal is to live out the words in Matthew 28 when Jesus says to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching others. He also reminds us that “surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”
As we go out, we are not alone. We seek a faith that serves both people and projects through ongoing prayer and financial support. We equip and send out short and long-term missionaries. We seek to serve those who are in need locally and globally by providing shelter, clothes, food, and the love of God. For more information, please contact Joann Carvalho at jojocarv1@gmail.com
Missions Spotlight
Habitat For Humanity: Serving Those Who Serve
Monte Vista Presbyterian church has been a long time supporter of Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County. For many years we have supported their efforts through our Mission outreach, with both monetary support and participation in their home build programs and with their efforts with playhouse builds for the military families of Ventura County. As an organization, Habitat seeks to build a county where everyone has a safe, decent place to live. They help support the building of affordable homes in the county through a program where the eventual homeowner can participate in the building of their own home and assume a mortgage that they can afford. Potential homeowners complete 250 to 500 hours of sweat equity working alongside Habitat volunteers to help build their own homes. They offer families a “hand up, not a handout.” Habitat also supports home repairs for low-income homeowners, and they advocate for policies that create more housing for struggling families.
Habitat has been in Ventura County since 1983 and has built 72 homes and has repaired over 170 houses over that time. 100% of donations are invested into the programs to keep building. Habitat’s current projects are in communities in Port Hueneme (townhomes) and South Oxnard Cypress Court (tiny homes), and their work presses on despite the COVID pandemic. As many businesses have been adversely affected by COVID, Habitat could always use your donation and this can be done directly through their website at https://www.habitatventura.org.
Habitat for Humanity also maintains home item donation sites (“Re-stores”) in Simi Valley and Oxnard, where you can donate gently used furniture that are sold to help fund their activities. You can even call for a pickup from your home after contacting them. Your donation is also tax-deductible and you will receive a receipt for taxes just as if you donated to other charities.
William L. Trotter, MD Your Habitat Mission Liaison
Serving Our Community
Serve our local community needs in 3 ways:
#1 Purchase items below and then contact Lutheran Social Services to arrange for a drop off in Thousand Oaks. Donations may
be coordinated with Nathan Hickling at 805-497-6207 ext.1064.
Here are the specific needs:
• Protective Masks
• Plastic Forks
• Men's and Women's socks (white or black)
• Women's underwear (size small and medium)
• Men's underwear (boxers; size medium)
• Men's shorts or pants (waist sizes 32 – 38)
• Men's and Women's Deodorant
• Facial wipes
• Pop top food items like chili, Chef Boyardee pasta meals, tuna/spam
#2 Purchase items below for Harbor House and the shelter meal program and then drop off at Trinity Lutheran Church
(1 W Avenida de los Arboles, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360). Donations dropped off Monday through Friday between 1-2pm.
Here are needs:
• Chips
• Cookies
• Fresh Fruit or Fruit cups
• Granola bars
• Trail Mix and or Nuts
*All items should be individual serve packages (due to health restrictions/guidelines).
#3 To arrange a pick up through Monte Vista, contact Jo Ann Carvalho from the Mission Committee at 805.368.3464
Thank you!!
Is not God’s call to
“Share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” -Isaiah 58:7